Rational public discourse is being subverted by a combination of technological and cultural forces, write Sievers and Schneider, resulting in a weakening of civic media and posing a grave threat to democracy itself....

Philanthropies now support media and journalism to a spectacular degree — some $1.3 billion annually between 2011 and 2015, notes media consultant Eric Karstens, but there is room for foundations to do even more....

Independent media is under attack, writes James Deane, director of policy and research at BBC Media Action, and greater information sharing, strategic dialogue, and commitment to mutual understanding is needed if we hope to successfully address the threat....

Cash transfers account for less than 5 percent of development aid, yet there is strong evidence, borne out by the experience of GiveDirectly, to suggest they are effective. The platform's co-founder, Michael Faye, tells Alliance editor Charles Keidan how cash transfers work and dispells some of the myths surrounding the approach....

As the space for progressive values continues to shrink, it is up to foundations to make sure their values are fully reflected in the composition of their senior management teams and boards, argues Ariadne's Jenny Oppenheimer....

The increasing polarization of our societies plays into the hands of radical populists, making the work of civil society organizations committed to the values of "open society" more important than ever, writes the European Policy Centre's Janis Emmanouilidis....

In these difficult times, it is critical for philanthropy to live its values, share what it knows, and demonstrate that openness is the cornerstone of strong and just societies, writes Gayle Peterson, senior managing director at PFC Social Impact Advisors....

Inequality, declining democratic accountability, and partisan polarization are at the forefront of cutting-edge political science, writes Harvard's Skocpol, but none of these phenomena can be fully understood without bringing organized philanthropy into the analysis....

Efforts to impose higher mandatory payout rates on foundations are misguided, writes Cathy Pharoah, not least because they would put at risk foundations' capacity to be proactive and respond to needs in flexible ways....

If foundations are to be "America's passing gear," writes Alliance contributing editor Timothy Ogden, perhaps it's time they adopted a more radical approach to helping poor people in failing communities....

People the world over are tired of bad development, tired of being patronized or ignored, and tired of seeing money poured down the drain, writes Hilary Gilbert, a research fellow at the University of Nottingham and chair of the South Sinai Foundation....

Long cherished, philanthropic freedom isn't guaranteed, and the growing number of direct and indirect attacks on this hallmark of civil society in the U.S. is cause for concern, writes the Philanthropy Roundtable's Joanne Florino....